Arsenal Bring In Sven Mislintat As Head Of Recruitment

There has been a lot of criticism aimed at Arsenal and Arsene Wenger over the last few seasons when it comes to recruitment.

At times they have bought players who have gone on to be nothing more than squad fillers or they’ve spent big on others who have then not really hit the heights expected of them. There’s often been talk of a sporting director joining the club and finally, it looks like Arsenal have got their man in Sven Mislintat.

Mislintat is set to join Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in a move that will see The Gunners shell out just under £2 million in compensation. The 45-year-old will work as the club’s new chief scout with Steve Rowley stepping down after 25 years. Many people may wonder what’s so special about Mislintat but they’d only have to look at some of the gems that have ended up at Dortmund in the decade or so in which he has been present. Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele are all players Mislintat identified and helped bring to the Westfalenstadion.

Arsenal have often been left in the shadows in terms of spending by rival Premier League sides such as the Manchester clubs and Chelsea and Mislintat can be key here for The Gunners. He’s used to working with modest budgets, ones that aren’t too extravagant, while still being able to pick up some great players. The players generally go on to have great spells at the club and as seen at Dortmund, if they are sold, it’s always for huge profit, which will be another tick in the box for the Arsenal hierarchy.

It will be a great boost to Arsene Wenger having Mislintat on board as it will take some pressure off of him at the helm. He can focus on managing the side, knowing that he can rely on others to make him aware of players that they could recruit during the transfer windows. His involvement alongside Wenger and CEO Ivan Gazidis will be vital as Arsenal not only look to unearth new talent but to move the club forward into a new era. With Wenger likely to depart sooner rather than later, it’s important that the club has everything ready for his successor and recruitment is one of the key cogs in the football machine.

Currently many would say that Arsenal have lost their place as one of the top four clubs in England and with the likes of City, United and Chelsea all spending big, they’re finding it hard to keep up. It will certainly be interesting to see how Mislintat’s appointment benefits them as Arsenal could end up finding some real gems for a fraction of what the so-called bigger clubs often pay. They may be playing catch up right now but you can sense the new era is finally just around the corner at the Emirates.